Earthly Eating

The Truth About Folic Acid:
Foods to which folic acid has been added (like cerals and pasta) are what’s really responsible for the recent improvements in folic-acid blood levels not in dietary supplements found in common form which is unfortified items as recently thought.

How To Build Your Own Food Pyramid:
If the food pyramid was based on your eating habits instead of the ideal diet from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), what would it look like? Go to USDA/CNPP. Click on the link under the “Healthy Eating Index” , register and list your lastest meals. In return, you will get a non-hold-barred analysis of your diet, including a personalized pyramid. If it’s a little off, don’t fret. You can record up to 20 days’ worth of eating habits, so you have the opportunity to build a better pyramid.

Organic: What It Really Means:
Don’t give up if you don’t know the difference between products labeled “organic” and “100% organic.” Though the U.S Department of Agriculture just implemented its national standards, the word is still slow in getting out on what the many newly defined terms actually mean. To learn more, check out A Practical Guide to Understainding Organic by Stoneyfeild Farms.

**MAC’s newest holiday collection is more than just shiney it’s almost antique. Marco Felgueiras over at Hot or Not Beauty has the entire story on how popular it is and where you can get your own MAC’s shiney collection. Read how here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: (Day 3 of Low-Fat Eating)

Low-Fat Milk And Your Diet:
Drinking low-fat milk before or with a meal helps you feel more full sooner and eat less the next time. The lighter the milk, the greater the effect. That is, fat-free milk works better than 1 precent, and both work better than 2 precent. Going low-fat also takes a load of calories out of your diet. Nearly every successful strategy for cutting fat from your diet includes drinking lower-fat milk.

Low-Fat Frozen Desserts:
Many people keep eating until the have had something sweet. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be bad. Frozen desserts are a good way to satisfy a sweet tooth without piling on calories. A Creamsicle® weighs in at just 100 calories, and a Tofutti Cutie® vanilla or wild berry sandwich is only 120 calories. A half-cup of chocolate frozen yogurt adds a modest 115 calories to your dinner. Of course, people who have gotten used to this appraoch can use another treat. Have a satisfying amount of low-energy density food at your meal and then for dessert eat one piece of the most delicious chocolate you can find.

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Raspberry-Orange Smoothie
Serves: 2

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 orange, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup raspberry or orange flavored yogurt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses that are fluted and serve.

Happy Eating!

• A small change: A small change can be a big one to your diet. If it’s the right one. If you replace th stnadard iceberg lettuce in hanburgers, tacos, and subd with fresh spinach, you add an awesome amount of vitmain A and C, folic acid, and other nutrients to meals. Honestly you can’t taste the lettuce or the spinach difference at all. So you can try this painless way to sneak more nutrition into your and your family’s favorite foods. Toss fresh spinach into anything. Salad mixes, sandwiches, pizzas and anything else you can think of. There is a restaurant in Arkansas, where I used to live, that served spinach topped pizza and let me tell you it was the best. It gave the cheese on the pizza a richer taste.

• Make a better oatmeal: For a morning calcium boost, cook instant oatmeal with skim (or soy) milk instead of water.

•De-ice your smoothies: Use frozen bananas instead of crushed ice for a nutritious twist to your favorite smoothie.

•Mix your cereals: If you are stuck on a sweet breakfast cerals, try belinging your favorite with a bett-for0you brand. For example: Mix Honey Nut Cheerious® with Grape-Nuts® or Cap’n Crunch® with some type of bran cereal.

•Modify your muffins: Mix high-fiber, nutrient-dense dried fruits like apricots into your batter, half the all-purpose flour with soy flour.

Here is another FYI in the cereal department: Eating more ceral fiber, the kind found in whole wheat breadm ceral, pasta, rice, and oats, may help you avoid one type of stomach cancer. If you consume cereal fiber you have over a 70% lower chance in developing certain types of cancers such as oral cancers, stomach cancer, throat cancers, and cancer of the esophagus.

** Think you are bypassing caffeine by drinking a citrus soda, you maybe getting just as much if not more than a regular cola. Over at Encouraging Health, Brick O’Neil shows a run down of some of the most popular citrus sodas compared to regular colas and shows their caffeine content. Read the whole story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes, Day 3

Chili-Rubbed Salmon With Gazpacho-Black Bean Salso
Serves: 4

Ingredients for the Chili-Rubbed Salmon:
Olive oil cooking spray
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. sugar
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. finely ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets

Gazpacho-Black Bean Salsa:
1 cup tomato juice
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, and diced (optional)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside.

3. In a shallow dish, combine lemon juice, sugar, chili powder, lemon zest, cumin, salt, and balck pepper. Mix with a fork, or whisk until blended. Add salmon fillets, and turn to coat. Transfer salmon to prepared baking shett, and roast 15 minutes until fork-tender.

4. Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Serve salmon with salsa on top and alongside.

Happy Eating!

In pace of sugary cerals, serve whole grains sweetened with fresh fruit, a great way for you to start the day as well as your children. Whole grains, which break down slowly in digestion, helps lower the risk of atherosclerosis and inflammatory conditions. They also help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. There has a links between lower heart failure to those who eat a whole-grain breakfast as well.

Whole grains help reduce blood pressure and the risk of stroke, benefit people with Type-2 diabetes, and may even enhance learning. Children who eat hot oatmeal preform better on memory test than those who start their day with ready-to-eat cereal. (Source: TFO 2007) Because whole grains are more filling than refined grains, they can also help maintain a healthy weight.

For your knowledge: Making a mealtime staple out of lean chicken breast may protect you and yours from colon cancer. White meat is the form of chicken is important in preventing precancerous polyps of the colon. While a direct line isn’t indentified, chicke is rich in selenium and calcium, both of which have been associatd with some benefits in reducing colorectal cancer risk. (Source: American Journal of Gastroenterology)

**Are you a Kelly Clarkson fan? Would you love to have a signed guitar from her? Well, over at Kelly Clarkson -Fan, Sarah Lee has posted an article on how you can get your hands on one. Read more about it here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Carrot Flan
Serves 8

1 pound of carrots, scrubbed and sliced
1/2 teaspoon of honey
1 tsp. Broth powder
Water

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan, include water until it just covers contents, and cook until the carrots are tender and the water evaporates. To microwave: rince and cut carrots. Place in a covered glass bowl with water clinging to the carrots. Microwave for 12-14 minuts until very tender.

2 tablespoons butter-flavored flakes
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs

2. Combine in blender with cooked carrots, then puree.

3. Pour into custard cups or individual ring molds.

4. Set containers in a pan of hot water and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until custard sets.

5. Serve hot in the custard cups.

Happy Eating!

Ficus is a genus of about 800 species of woody trees, shrubs and vines in the family Moraceae, native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the warm temperate zone. The most well known species in the genus is the Common Fig. (Source: Wikipedia)

Other varieties include:

Alma -

celeste -

Brown Turkey -

Italian black -

Italian white -

Kadota - Used in Newtons, dries well.

Lemon Fig - Native to South Carolina.

Mission- (black )sweet commonly dried.

Mission figs got their name from the Spanish missionaries who planted them along the California coast in the late-eighteenth century. In season from June through October. Figs have a unique interior that is made up of thousands of tiny flowers that bloom inside the fruit.

They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols. Figs and other dried fruit were measured for their antioxidant content. A 40 gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity. Figs also have higher quantities of fiber than any other dried or fresh fruit, and are very high in calcium.

Figs with Ricotta Cheese and Wildflower Honey:
Serves 4 to 6

12 large Figs (any variety)
1 lb. fresh whole milk ricotta cheese at room temperature
6 tbs. wildflower honey

Quarter figs and arrange them on plates. Add a spoonful of ricotta to each fig and a generaous drizzle of the honey. Serve.

**If you are a fan of The View, then check out the running schedule of guest from October 29th to November 2nd over at Watching The View. Catch up on the guest list by clicking here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Peach Melba-Stuffed French Toast
Serves: 4

For stuffed french toast:
2 to 3 ripe peaches, sliced
1 tsp. plus 1 tbs. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
1 rsp. vanilla
8 slices day-old French bread (3/4 inch thick)
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 slices

For berry syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 tba conrstarch
1 cup water
1 to 1 1/2 cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
1 tbs butter
Powdered sugar (for garnishing)
4 mint springs ( for garnishing)

To make berry syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, conbine sugar and conrstarch with a whisk. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes.

2. Add berries, Cook, stirring frequently, until berries burst and color syrup.

3. Add butter and continue cooking until it’s melted and berries have fallen apart. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make stuffed French toast:
1. Sprinkle peach slices with 1 tsp. sugar and let sit.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 tbs. sugar. Dip bread slices in egg mixture for about 5 seconds on each side. (Depending on the bread’s dryness, you may need to add more egg or milk.) Cook over medium heat on a hot skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (For added flavor, melt butter on the skillet.)

3. Cook until bread is browned on one side, then turn over. Cover the top of 4 browned pieces with peaches and 2 slices of cream cheese each. Top this with another slice of bread, browned side inside. Flip the whole stuffed toast over to warm cream cheese.

4. Slice the Stuffed French Toast diagonally and top with Berry Syrup. Garnish with powdered sugar and mint sprigs.

Happy Eating!

Michel Nischan’s Homegrown Pure and Simple ($35), pays homage to fresh produce from his garden. The prganic chef’s intensely flavored dished, like kabocha squash risotto, take simpe recipes beyon the expected.

Ann Gentry’s The Real Food Dairy Cookbook($25), This book lets you sample the Los Angeles hot spot’s yin yang cabbage salad and carrot cashew butter without leaving home.

Did you know: Baby carrots aren’t babies at all. They are pieces of misshappened full-grown carrots that have been peeled and polished down to be the tiny shape that kids (and some adults) love to munch on with ranch dressing.

**Is Katie Holmes pregnant again? She says no, but you make up your own mind by reading the rest of the story here**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Blueberry Cheese Rolls:
Serves: 4

1 package (8-oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel Cheese, softened
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup blueberries, divided
Sifted Powdered sugar

preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.

Combine Neufchatel cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with the sifted powedered sugar before serving.

Happy Eating!

Variety, speed and ease are all important to a successful breakfast. These quick-menu ideas provide plenty of carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats to help you stay fueled through the entire day.

• Multigrain bagel with low-fat cream cheese, sliced melon, a glass of skim milk, and 100 precent fruit juice or sports drinks with low-sugar content.

• One to two cups of ready-to-eat, low-sugar cereal with skim milk, 1/2 cup of berries or one small banana, and juice.

• Fresh fruit salad, two slices of whole-whear toast spread with alond butter, a glass of milk, and furit juice.

• One cup of granola or muesli topped with nofat or low-fat yogurt and berries, and fruit juice.

• One or two whole-grain English muffins spread with whole-fruit jam, a handful of whole alomnds or trail mix without sugary additions (such as M&Ms) and a bottled low-fat smoothies.

**Sandy shares her skeletons in her closet and invites you to share yours as well over at Dating Outlook. Read the whole story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Tropical Dessert Pizza:
Serves: 12 slices

1 package (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough rounds
1 package (1.59 oz.) Freezer jam fruit pectin
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups peeled, cored, crushed pineapple (about 1 medium)
1-1/2 cups peeled, seeded, crushed papaya (about 2 medium)
1 cup peeled, finely chopped mango (about 1 large)
1 cup whipped topping
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-inch pizza pan. Place cookie dough rounds in a circle in middle of greased pan. Press rounds to form a 9-inch circle. 2. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow to cool, about 15 minutes. 3. Stir pectin and sugar in a bowl until well blended. Add pineapple, papya and mango. Continue stirring for 3 minutes. reserve 1 cup jam. Set aside. 4. Ladle remaining jam into clean plastic 8 oz. freezer jars to fill line. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate up to three weeks of freeze up to one year. 5. Spread whipped topping over cooled cookie. refrigerate additional 5 minutes, just to set. Spread reserved tropical jam on top of whipped topping. Sprinkle ith macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and cocnut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Eating!

A nutritional, medicinal, and highly flavorful guide to the perfect drink.

You’re standing in front of the min-mart fridge considering your options. Water isn’t quite enough so here’s something new: A juice belnd called pomegrante blue. Sounds refreshing and, as a bonus, it’s healthy. But is it? Al;; juices are not created equal. Are you getting nutrients or are you drinking sugar water? Indeed. some fruit-juice products contain only 10 to 15 percent juice; the balance includes as much as 27 grams of high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or even the healthful-sounding organic can sugar. They may look like fruit jice, but technically they’re fruit drtinks and the distinction is important. Nutritionally speaking, furit drinks are not much better than soda and should be consumed sparingly. The truick is to scrutinize the label for the words “100 precent juice” Chooseing only 100 precent juice ensures you’re getting nutrients. It’s worth the effort because fruit juice can deliver big benefits. Eight ounces of OJ, for instance, provides 120 precent of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C and is a good source of potassium and folic acid; fortified versions offer up to 35 precent of calcium or 25 precent of vitamin D. Pineapple juice has 100 precent of your vitamin C and 10 precent of your potassium for the day. The polyphenoils in Concord grape juice have the same protective effect against heart disease as red wine, minue the buzz.

Drinking three servings of juice a week-your choice-may help fight dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Juice’s status as a high glycemic index beverage makes it a great choice, because it helps restock your carb supply during the day, especially after working out or even working hard at a job all day. Blend it with yogurt (for a little protein) and you have got a prefect recovery drink.

But hold on before you gulp dfown that second big glass of 100 precent pinapple-orange-strawberry blend. Juices pack a lot of calories compared with their whole-fruit sources. An eight-ounce glass of orange juice has 110 claories, while the fruit has only 65, which doesn’t sound like such a big deal until you realize how much easier it is to keep sipping than to peel another orange. And juices are less filling. If you eat the whole orange or apple, you get fiber, which is mostly lost during the juicing process. Whole fruit bulk make you feel fuller than liquid calories. Plus, some nutrients are lost during the juicing process as stated above because they hide out in the skins, peel, and membranmes of many fruits. Oranges, for example, contain five times the amouth fo the antioxidant flavanone in orange juice. To rpevent from going oberboard on calories, keep you intake of all drinks- milk, juice, smoothies-to no more than 14 precent of your daily intake calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that might be a glass of low-fat or fat-free milk (80 to 140 calories) and four to eight ounces of juice (50 to 120 calories).

Some juices to consider:
• If you are looking for fiber:

1. Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice with Fiber; Why? Eight ounces contain three grams of fiber-the same amount in a whole orange.

2. Welch’s 100% Grape Juice with Fiber; Why? Has about two grams of fiber, or 10 precent of your DV.

• If you are looking for a multivitamin:

1. Knudsen Vita Juice; Why? Boats 100 precent of the DV for 11 vitamins per eight-ounce serving.

• If you are looking for one with antioxidants:

1. Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice; Why? Concord grape juice contains more free-radical-fighting antioxidants than a cup and a half of fresh blueberries.

2. Nantucket Nectars Organic Cloudy Apple; Why? Cloudy varieties contain four times as much of the antioxidant phytochemical polyphenol as clear juice.

3. CherryPharm CHERRish; Why? A new study suggests that drinking cherry juice can speed upo recovery due to its high antioxidant levels and anti-inflammatory properties.

4. V8 Juice; Why? An eight-ounce glass equals two servings of vegetables and contains four times as much of the antioxidant lycopene as a medium tomato.

**Show some love the Tom Green way, read about it more here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Easy Layer Taco Pie:
Serves: 4

1 lb. Lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1 1.4 oz) Taco mix
1/2 cup water
4 flour tortillas, cut into quarters
1 cup salsa (make your own with cilantro, tomato, green peppers, and onion in a blender or food processor on pulse.
1 cup mexican style shredded cheddar jack cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce or spinach leaves
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup sour cream

Place meat in microwaveable (glass) colander set over bowl. Microwave on high 8 minutes, stirring and breaking up every 2 minutes. Discard any fat that collects in bowl. Transfer crumbled meat in 9-inch microwaveable dish. Stir in seasoing mix and water. Microwave 5 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes.

Remove half of the meat mixture, set aside. Place eight tortilla quarters on top of the remianing meat mixture in a microwave dish. Top with reserved meat mixture and remining right tortilla quarters. Top with salsa and cheese.

Microwave 4 minutes. Top with lettuce, green onions and sour cream just before serving.

Happy Eating!

This method works for any citrus fruits, from a petite lime to a giant grapfruit. First, slice the polar ends so the fruit will stand steadily. Then, using a small, sharp knife, work in a zigzag motion from top to bottom to remove strips of peel, pith, and other membrane to expose the pulp. (You’ll have to angle your knife at the top and bottom.) Continue working your way around the fruit until it’s entirely peeled.
Next, hold the peeled fruit firmly in your hand over a bowl. Notice the membranes that seperate the sections; they lool like white lines. Slide your knife flush against the membranes, surrounding each section of fruit, working in a V pattern; when the cuts meet at the bottom of the V, the section will slide into the bowl. Repeat with the sections that are left. When you’re done, squeeze any remaning juice into the bowl.

For specialty fruits, nuts and citrus all-year-long check out Jaffe Bros. Incorporated.
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Winter Citrus Salad:
Serves 6

2 red-fleshed grapfruits (such as Marsh Ruby, Rio Star, or Star Ruby)
3 blood oranges
3 naval oranges
4 satsuma tangerines, clementines, or other mandarins
1/3 cup sugar or 2 1/2 tsp. powdered stevia
3 large kumquats, sliced
1 star fruit, thinly sliced
Seeds of 1/4 pomegranate
2 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced
Mint sprigs for garnish

1. Using a citrus zester, remove several strans of zest from a grapefruit, blood orange, naval orange, and mandarin; set the zest aside.

2. Peel the grapfruits, oranges, and madarins; section the fruits over a serving bowl, remiving all traces of pulpy membranes and reserving it in a seperate bowl. When you’ve removed all the sections, wring out the remaining membrane wth your hands to extract about 1 cup of juice; discard any remaining pulp and seeds.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the juice with the sugar or stevia. Bring to a boil; add citrus zest, kumquats, and star fruit. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Cool, then pur over the citrus sections. Top with pomegranate seeds; cover and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, add kiwi and garnish with mint.

Happy Eating!

Since 1994, the Department of Defense has been using its extensive network of farm contracts and trucks to help get more fresh fruit and vegetable into schools. This in not your standard mess hall though, in North Carolina, kids dip into cups of sweet local strawberries. And students in New York City are biting into apples from the Champlain Valley. With an emphasis on buying from nearby farmers and small suppliers, the DOD Fresh Produce Program delievers food to school districts in 47 states. Schools just don’t get enough food from their own backyard so roughly 30 growers want to change that and are involved and farmers can’t wait to sign up. Much to the the delight of local food champions, the word is spreading. Today the organization buys $75 million a year in produce, up from $ 4 million a decade ago. And because DOD Fresh is supported by Replublicans and Democrats alike-not to mention parents and farmers-funding may even increase as the years pass and more framers and schools get involved with one another. For parents, public health officials, and school administrators stuggling to control youth obesity, military helping, food distribution looks to be a useful weapon against childhood eating issues.
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Fresh and Dried Cranberry, Orange, and Walnut Tart
Serves 10

Crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white all-purpose flour (or a mixture of both)
1 tbs. light brown sugar or maple sugar
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. grated orange zest
7 tbsp. cold butter or butter substitute, cut into small chunks
2 tbsp. cold water mixed with 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Tart Filling:
1 cup dried cranberries
1 orange
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberry juice or 1 orange
1 cup light brown sugar, maple sugar, or Sucanat
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chpped walnuts
2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. orange liquid or orange flower water

1. To make the crust, place the flour, sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, and orange zest in a food processor; pulse just to combine. Add the butter; pulse until the butter is broken up into pieces the size of baby peas. Drizzle in the water-vanilla mixture, and pulse until large moist-looking crumbs have formed.

2. Pour the crumbs onto a clean surface and gather them in your hand. If there is any dry flour left, work it into the dough with a few drops of water. Gently shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, roll out into a 10-inch round, then drape into a 9-inch tart pan. Use your fingers to build up the sides so they’re about 1/4 inch think. Transfer to the freezer. Preheat oven to 375°F

4. To make the filling, cover the dried cranberries with warm water; set aside. Using a citrus zester, remove several strands of zest from the orange, set the zest aside. Peel the orange, section it into eighths, then thinly slice the sections crosswise. When you’re ready to start cooking, drain the dried cranberries.

5. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the drained dried cranberries, fresh or frozen cranberries, orange slices, orange juice, and sugar or Sucanat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatual, until the cranberries have popped and released their juices, about 12 minutees. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves and flour; cook for 1 more minute, then stir in the walnuts. Remove from heat.

6. Set the frozen tart shell, still in the tart pan, on a sheet pan. Spoon the tart filling into the shell, then smooth the top. Dot the butter over the filling, and decorate the top with strands of orange zest. Cover lightly with parchment or foil. Bake in the center of the oven until the crust is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. remove, then spoon orange liquor or orange flower water over the top. Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or créme fraìche, if desired.

Happy Eating!

The same substance that give tomatoes their red color-lycopene-has become a star of cancer prevention, paticularly prostate cancer. Interestingly, processed products such as tomato sauce offer more of this cancer fighter than fresh tomatoes do. Here’s the comparisons:

Vegetable Juice Cocktail:
Serving Size, one cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)-23,377

Tomatos Juice:
Serving Size, one cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)-21,960

Spaghetti Sauce:
Serving Size, 1/2 cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)-21,499

Tomato Soup:
Serving Size, one cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)- 13,322

Tomato Paste:
Serving Size, two tbs………………..Lycopene (mcg)-9,492

Tomato Sauce:
Serving Size, 1/4 cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)-9,281

Sun-Dried Tomatoes:
Serving Size, three halves…………..Lycopene (mcg)- 6, 116

Stewed Tomatoes:
Serving Size, 1/2 cup………………..Lycopene (mcg)- 5, 145

Tomato Salsa:
Serving Size, two tbs………………..Lycopene (mcg)-3,470

Ketchup:
Serving Size, one tbs………………..Lycopene (mcg)-2,551

Tomato:
Serving Size, one small………………Lycopene (mcg)- 2,341
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Earthly Eating Recipe:
Tofu-and-Meat Loaf:

6 to 8 servings
For the toppings:
3 tbs. ketchup
2 tbs. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar

For the loaf:
1 14 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey
3 slices bread, torn into small pieces
2 eggs, lightly beated
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger (optional)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

1. A day in advance, crumble the tofu into a plastic container. Freeze overnight or for up to 4 hours. Thaw the tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel before using.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk together the topping ingredients.

3. In a large bowl, break up the tofu with your hands. Add remaining loaf ingredients, and combine well. Pat the mixture into a 9-by-5 loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

4. Remove the loaf and brush it with the topping, then return it to the oven and bake for 15 minutes more.

5. Remove and let the loaf cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

(For a fun twist for kids, bake the loaf in mini muffin tins for 45 minutes. Be sure and not bake it for an hour, it will burn in the muffin tins.)

Happy Eating!

Due to the Iniversity of California at Davis study of kiwi fruit grown organically and kiwi fruit grown conventionally, the organic kiwi fruit had a lot more disease fighting antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, and calcium than the conventional grown kiwi fruit. This is due in part because the organically grown kiwi fruit was grown without pesticides and is under more emvironmental stress, which causes it to produce more antioxidants naturally compaired to the conventionally grown kiwi fruit that pesticides were used on. So ultimately this means that locally, pesticide-free fruit is a whole lot better for you physically.

Happy Eating!